Category: Lunch & Dinner

Coleslaw is a total potluck staple and barbecue necessity and I spent a good portion of my life thinking that I hated it (as I’m sure plenty of others can relate). Well, turns out….I realized I just hate the heavy mayonnaise drowning the coleslaw. Cabbage and carrots are delicious, but that soggy, nasty mayo really doesn’t do it any favors.

I was looking for a lighter, vegan version of the old classic that brings out the flavors of the veggies instead of drowning them, so I came up with this recipe.

Bring this to your next BBQ and I promise your friends will like you more for it. Especially your vegan friends, because they can totally enjoy this recipe too. This is the absolute best when served with my Jackfruit Pulled Pork (look for that recipe on the blog next week!)

IngredientsFirst, the slaw:
1 small head green cabbage, finely shredded
1/2 small head red cabbage, finely shredded
3 whole carrots, finely shredded
(These are very easy to shred w/ the shredder attachments on a food processor…but if you don’t have one, you can save yourself a lot of misery by buying it bagged and pre-shredded.)

Instructions:
1. Shred all cabbage and carrots in a food processor, or skip this step entirely by purchasing the pre-shredded coleslaw mixes.
2. Using your food processor (or a separate bowl for mixing with a whisk), combine all dressing ingredients and blend until very smooth. (Be sure to grate the onion before adding it to the dressing if you’re not using a food processor)
3. Pour over shredded cabbage and carrot mixture and stir well until all cabbage is evenly coated
4. Taste & add salt and pepper as needed
5. Store in the fridge for at least an hour before serving, so all the flavors can really combine. It tastes even better the next day and will store well for several days!

One of my favorite variations on this recipe is to add about 4-5 shredded broccoli stocks to my slaw. When buying whole broccoli, don’t just use the florets and toss their stocks in the trash! These stocks are still packed full of vitamins and fiber and can easily be saved in the fridge for several days. Run ’em through the shredder in your food processor or chop them up into little matchsticks for some extra boost to your salads and slaw.

Here’s a fresh and easy lunch that’s all sorts of delicious. It gets bonus points in my house for making great use of leftover quinoa from the previous night’s dinner, and this can be thrown together in less than 5 minutes. Here’s a quick recipe for one serving, but multiply it as needed (it stores great all week if you want to make a huge batch ahead of time):

Add the above sauce ingredients to a saucepan, whisking constantly over low to medium heat. Make sure that it doesn’t boil, but rather melts and reduces. The sauce will become smooth, creamy, and thick.

Remove from heat, immediately pouring piping hot sauce over bed of greens, allowing them to wilt a bit.

I am not a huge fan of heavy lunches when it’s the middle of the hundred plus degree summers, so this is one of my favorite light meals on super hot days here in AZ.

I’m going to call this recipe kale “tacos”. Okay, so they’re basically salad boats made of vegetables and filled with vegetables…but I promise you they’re addictive. And who doesn’t like food that serves as an edible container?

Could easily be made vegan with the substitution of Daiya (or other brand) vegan cheese and replacing the egg with a flax or chia egg.

Pizza is definitely an all time favorite comfort food, but the kind you have delivered to your door has a reputation for being notoriously greasy, and full of carbs and fat. This cauliflower pizza crust is a fantastic way to replace the greasy bread with a mellow flavored, nutrient-packed vegetable instead.

Cauliflower is a cruciferous vegetable that is naturally low in fat and carbohydrates and an excellent source of vitamin C, fiber, and folate. It is also a good source of choline, vitamin B6, vitamin K, potassium, manganese, vitamin B5, protein and iron. It possesses a high nutrient density, meaning that it contains a very high number of nutrients (vitamins and minerals) and a very low amount of energy (calories and fat). Nutrient dense foods, such a fruits and veggies, pack the highest levels of nutrients for the least amount of calories, making them the opposite of “empty calorie” or energy-dense foods, such as processed or sugary snacks, which carry relatively low amounts of nutrients with an excessive amount of calories or fat.

I’ve spent some time perfecting this recipe before posting, as I initially was having some trouble with my cauliflower crust sticking to the pan. The secret I discovered through trial and error: the lightly coated parchment paper is a must! The crust stuck horribly to a coated pizza pan, stone, or tin foil, but slid effortlessly off the parchment paper. The result was a pizza crust that was crispy and golden brown on the outside, soft on the inside, and easy to slice, pick up, and eat with your hands.

Oh, and an added bonus…it’s naturally gluten free!

Ingredients:

1 head of cauliflower

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

3 tbsp. Parmesan cheese

3 cloves garlic, minced

¼ tsp sea salt

¼ tsp black pepper

Olive Oil

¼ cup homemade or store bought tomato sauce

½ cup fresh mozzarella

¼ cup fresh basil leaves

¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes

Sun-dried tomatoes

Directions:
1) Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees and line a pizza pan or baking sheet with parchment paper. Lightly coat parchment paper in olive oil. (I highly recommend the use of parchment paper; I had a lot of trouble with the crust sticking to the pizza pan or aluminum foil the first couple of times I made this.)

2) Either grate the cauliflower using an old-fashioned cheese grater or place in the food processor until it’s a fine, grated consistency; A rice-like consistency will work just fine, but I’ve found that the finer the cauliflower is, the closer the texture in your mouth feels to real pizza crust.

3) Optional: Place the grated cauliflower in a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 3-5 minutes, until softened. Remove from the microwave and let cool for a few minutes. (For an even crispier crust, skip this microwaving step entirely and move on to Step #4.)

4) Add eggs (or flax egg), Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, and minced garlic to the warm cauliflower and mix well. Form into a 12-inch circle on the prepared pizza pan. Lightly brush olive oil over the surface of the crust and bake for 12-18 minutes, or until nice and golden brown.

5) Remove pizza crust from oven and top pizza with sauce, mozzarella, and basil. Add sundried tomatoes, onion and crushed red pepper flakes, or choose whatever toppings you prefer. Place the pizza back into the oven and bake for another 10 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly and melted. Let cool for a few minutes before slicing up; the pizza should easily slide off the parchment paper and onto a serving plate.

About Me

Dana Moses

Hey there, and welcome to my blog. I’m Dana, a holistic nutritionist and the owner of Nutrition by Intuition LLC, a functional nutrition private practice.

I'm passionate about food, plants, & healthy living and created this website as a space to house and share some of my ideas.

All of recipes I post support a whole-foods, plant-based diet & are packed full of healthy things like fruits & veggies. Most are naturally vegan and free of gluten, dairy, and meat.